


in a whisper, not a roar

by song_of_fate



Category: Broadchurch, Masters of Sex
Genre: Bill lives in Broadchurch, Domestic, Ellie POV, Established Relationship, Idiots in Love, M/M, Post-Sandbrook, Post-Surgery, Protective Ellie, ellie has best friend rights, ellie miller is a snoop and feels no shame, grumpy idiots in love, outside pov, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:54:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24591895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/song_of_fate/pseuds/song_of_fate
Summary: Ellie never knew what Alec saw in Bill Masters. She was bound to find out some time.
Relationships: Alec Hardy/William Masters
Comments: 24
Kudos: 88





	in a whisper, not a roar

**Author's Note:**

> My love for Bill/Alec is due entirely to Cards_Slash and her beautiful [Public Relations](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20863220/chapters/49591058) fic. Join us, friends!

It was sure that a man like Alec Hardy would see what he has seen and leave his bloody door open in the middle of broad daylight. Ellie also knew it to be sure that he had griped at her more than once about her lack of common sense in terms of general safety, and so it was with no small amount of eye-rolling that she pressed her way into the open invitation she imagined it must be. 

“Come along then, Hardy,” She called half-heartedly through bleary eyes, almost expecting him to come run her over on his way to the car as he’d done so many times before. For a man with a weak heart, he could sure get around when he really put his bull-headed mind to it. "Can't be having both of us late on your first day back in."

She wrinkled her nose at the bitter lingering of coffee in the air, already lifting her feet high out of sheer habit to avoid stacks of paper or books only to realize that they weren't there anymore. A noise escaped her; part curious, part impressed that perhaps the closing of Sandbrook might have returned Hardy to the realm of the living after all. 

Looking up, she noticed that the small kitchen was rather spotless save for the two mugs resting idly on the counter. To her left, the table held a laptop, a neatly stacked set of file folders, and a pair of reading glasses that were far too pristine to belong to the man she knew to fumble them out of his pocket with little regard for smudging the lenses. 

Maybe it was the early morning hours, or maybe it had been her dear Fred’s unfortunate tendency lately to have her up at the brightest crack of dawn, but Ellie came fully awake with the realization that the sudden change in cleanliness made perfect sense: Hardy wasn’t alone anymore. 

A familiar flare of annoyance cleared her vision and her mouth twisted as she took in the subtle changes of the home in a new light. For all Hardy had insisted that Bill was different, that he was indeed a changed man, (or at least actively attempting to work himself into some approximation of someone who  _ deserved  _ her former boss) Ellie hadn’t quite been able to reconcile what she knew Bill Masters to have been and what he was claiming to be now. Or how Alec, whose heart had been broken (quite literally, even) by the devastation of his ex-wife’s deeds and the shattering of his career, would ever have given an ounce of time to a cheating louse of an American Sex Doctor. 

For all the few months that William Masters had begun his settling into Broadchurch, Ellie hadn’t quite been able to move past it. She’d attempted, surely. If Alec was happy and the git knew that Ellie would shove her boot so far up his arse if he  _ ever— _

And here he was  _ changing _ things, she thought, slamming her purse onto the table with just enough meanness to gain satisfaction from disrupting Masters’ perfectly stacked work documents. What was next? A bloody marble fountain in the den? There was barely a mark of Alec in this place and it was  _ his  _ home. 

“Alec?” She tried again, willing the sounds to stop coming from between her teeth. “Sir?”

There was a rumbling from within the home, a muttered curse, and Ellie followed it into the den. Of which, she noticed again, was also far cleaner than she was used to seeing. Honestly, leave the man a bit of personality wouldn’t you? Ellie had prided herself on a home that was both clean and comfortable, a place where anyone would feel welcome enough to put their feet up. Sure, there were spots left to paint and corners left to dust once in a while, but at least her home had felt lived in. 

There was also the distinct possibility that she wasn’t being entirely fair. But as Hardy’s unnamed-but-well-known best friend, Ellie refused to dwell on it. It was her right to be protective. She’d seen the bastard through near death more than once, and there wouldn’t be a heartbreak to follow it if she had any say. (She didn’t. But it made her feel better to think that she could.)

“Ach!” A familiar grumble had her round the corner and she smirked at the sight of Alec standing in the bedroom with his tie in all sorts of disarray, his jacket lapels were shifted awkwardly and his cuffs were still undone. He didn’t notice her, glaring fiercely as he was down at the offending grey fabric. “ _ Bloody _ thing—will you _ just _ —” A tutting noise sounded from within the room but Alec didn’t pause his bitter cursing.

Ellie tensed at the American cadence of, “Is there a head injury I should know about that caused you to forget how to tie a knot?”

Smug bastard. 

“Shut up,” Alec snarled without venom, finally turning towards the sound of the voice. “It’s refusing to straighten. I can’t be going back looking like I’ve forgotten how to dress.” 

Bill sighed from wherever he was, “You’re nervous,” it wasn’t a question. “Oh, stop trying to scare it into submission. Here, let me.” 

Looking a bit like he’d put up a fight, Alec glared right up until the moment the doctor entered his space before dropping his hands with a frown. Bill no longer looked an ounce like he did in the newspapers Ellie had first seen; his hair had grown out in thick curls of black that shot through with grey, sporting a beard that while well-groomed, showed much the same coloring and gave him a stodgy professor type of look. The line of his mouth was set thin, not a smile in sight, not a single outward tell of affection, and Ellie wondered not for the first time just what the hell kind of relationship this could possibly be without it. 

Still, she couldn’t find it in her to interrupt. Her curiosity was almost a living thing, a drive that Ellie had always had little power to ignore. Instead, she stepped back just enough to be out of their line of sight should they choose to look without relinquishing her view of the oddly domestic moment. Hardy was always on her to give the man a chance, wasn’t he?

Alec’s eyes wandered up from watching Bill’s fingers work, appearing to linger on an errant curl that Bill had probably been attempting to tame before he could no longer stand watching the other man make a fool of himself. He reached up to run his fingers there just as Bill pulled the knot of his immaculately folded tie into position. Amusement lifted the corner of his mouth, fondness in the quick rush of air from his nose. “Are you going to keep it like this, then?”

Bill huffed and shot him a pointed look. “Why shouldn’t I? Far less hassle when I’m not having to pour product into it just to keep it down.” He said, fiddling now with the lapels of Alec’s suit like he wasn’t quite ready to step away yet. “At any rate, Broadchurch doesn’t seem like the type of town that enjoys…” 

“Posh bastards?” 

"I think they'd probably appreciate a more casual appearance, yes."

Alec shrugged his great, bony shoulders. “Eh, I’d wager that.” He agreed, reaching up into the spare space between them to fiddle with the end of the tie again. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Bill said, stiff as a board as usual but it only seemed to soften Hardy even more. His eyes crinkled at the corners, somehow brightening him as if Bill were the most fascinating thing he’d ever seen. Ellie’s mouth had been threatening to pop open, so she stifled the movement with her hand, grinning through her fingers. 

“I like it, you know,” Alec said. “The—” he tilted his chin like that encompassed all of Bill’s current situation. “Rugged. Like you’d actually not be afraid to get your hands a little dirty.” 

Bill Masters apparently had a smile hidden underneath all that superiority. It was a small thing, a blink and you’ll miss it even, but it was soft and a little shy. The look of a man who didn’t know what to do with a compliment anymore. “You’re going to be late. I’m sure Ellie will be here any moment to drag you out herself.” 

Alec made a careless noise, but the tenseness in him had all but left. He extracted himself from Bill’s hold, turning to rummage around for his keys and wallet. “She’s probably waiting in the car trying to justify kicking down the door.” He pocketed everything, patting his pockets and finding himself satisfied that all was accounted for. “So, dinner later?”

“Of course,” Bill said. “I have a few appointments this afternoon, but nothing that should keep me too late. Here?” 

“Yeah," Alec agreed. He stepped forward to leave, then paused with his hand on the doorframe before rushing backward like he’d forgotten something. He cupped his hands around Bill’s jaw, long fingers meeting in the thick of his hair and drew the other man in for a lingering kiss. Bill stiffened for only a moment before gripping onto Alec’s arms and surrendering to it like there could never be any other choice. 

They pulled away only far enough for Alec to speak, "Later, then." 

"Yes," Bill replied, but his smile had grown. And maybe it hadn't been the words, or anything familiar enough to her to be close, but something in that sharing of breath spoke more of  _ I love you  _ than saying it could. 

_ Huh, _ Ellie thought, her mind leaving room for little else. She’d rarely seen them touch in the three months Bill had been in town outside of anything it took for Bill to ensure Alec wasn’t killing himself during recovery. It was strange now to see how Alec appeared to curl into Bill's space, the way Bill folded himself into the concave that Alec always seemed to carry. Like pillars, holding each other up, counter-balancing the weak spots until they formed something solid. Maybe it wasn’t as severe as she’d thought. Maybe they simply were private people; she knew right well Alec was. But she’d expected an American to be —louder, perhaps—about his affections. Assumptions were funny that way. 

Suppose in this case, Ellie didn't mind so much being wrong. 

She managed to stamp down on her giggles long enough to retreat back into the kitchen to wait like the polite guest she should have been, but she was smiling and found that it didn’t bother her quite as much as it would have fifteen minutes ago. 

Sitting in the chair closest to the door, Ellie waited for Alec to come out of his own accord. There was still time, and she didn’t feel like rushing the morning into the monotony of a workday. When the pair emerged together, she greeted them with a wave. Alec sputtered. 

“What is this Miller, a hotel? You can’t just barge in here whenever you like!”

“Actually,” Bill cut in, moving around Alec to gather his things from the table. “The door was open, remember?”

“Your door was open.” She repeated with a smirk, taking a languid sip of the tea she’d helped herself to. 

“Oh don’t either of you start,” he groaned. "Come on then, Miller, off we go." He paused, eyebrows raising at the cup in her hand. "Just how long have you been here?" 

Bill looked up on time to meet Ellie's eyes and her grin only widened before she turned to shrug at Hardy. "Not long." 

Bill cleared his throat while Alec glared at her and tried to puzzle out what the hell that meant. "Well," Bill began, and though his cheeks were far too protected, she was pleased to see the soft reddening of his ears. "Good morning to you, Ellie. I need to meet with the realtor, so I can't stay long. You're welcome to anything you'd like." 

"We can't stay either," Hardy grouched. "So there will be no welcome-ing to anything." 

"Good morning, Bill." Ellie nodded, ignoring Alec entirely. "I'll make sure he's back in one piece." 

They'd never been able to share more than a few words without Ellie's ire brimming to the surface and cutting it ruthlessly short, but she had to admit watching the surprise flit across Bill Masters' features was becoming entirely more satisfying than his careful avoidance of her. 

He blinked owlishly, looking for something in her face. What that was, she couldn't be sure until he seemed to unwind enough to reach into his wallet. "I know you will." Bill said with confidence, and that flattered her. A bit. Though she'd never tell another living soul. "But just in case, here's my card. I wouldn't put it past him to overexert himself." 

"I'm right here," Alec growled as Ellie studied the card with Bill's mobile."I don't need anyone to  _ look after me _ , Masters." 

They must have shot Alec similar expressions because his dissatisfaction rumbled out of him in a series of increasingly loud noises. He raised an accusing finger at the both of them. "No. Absolutely not. Whatever is happening, I'll be having  _ none _ of it. Let's  _ go,  _ Miller."

"Of course not. How silly of me." Bill said without inflection, but his eyes were narrowed in amusement.

"Lovely to see you, Bill," Ellie said as she made after Alec, who had decided to stomp his way to the car in a very convincing mimic of her own toddler. Bill's eyes were wide as he nodded at her in return, the movement almost stuttering. 

"And you, Ellie," he replied.

Ellie left the cottage door open and headed out to see Alec hovering moodily against her car door. When he scowled at her, she laughed, feeling lighter for all her snooping. Everything took on a different light when she knew without a doubt that grumpy, foul-mouthed Alec Hardy was well-loved. The rest would figure itself out in time.


End file.
